1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a wire connection terminal structure, and more particularly to an improved wire connection terminal structure for an external electrical wire to plug in and electrically connect therewith. The structure of the conductive plate of the wire connection terminal is simplified and the assembling strength of the entire wire connection terminal is enhanced. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the wire connection terminal is lowered.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wire connection terminal is also referred to as an electrical connector. The wire connection terminal is mainly used to electrically connect the electrical wires between electronic components, electrical apparatuses, electronic equipments and circuit boards. In practice, the electronic components generally include resistors, capacitors, inductors, LED, transformers, liquid crystal panels, touch panels, etc. The electrical wires can be easily plugged into the electrical connector or unplugged out of the electrical connector. Therefore, the wire connection terminal serves to transmit power or electronic signals to facilitate layout and service of the internal circuit boards and electronic components of the electronic products and apparatuses.
Currently, there are various wire connection terminals on the market. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional wire connection terminal is mainly composed of a leaf spring 6 and a conductive frame 7. The leaf spring 6 and the conductive frame 7 are generally mounted in a plastic-made insulation outer case (not shown). The conductive frame 7 has a conductive base section 71 and a soldering leg 72 extending from the base section 71 out of the insulation outer case. The soldering leg 72 can be soldered on an external circuit board or electronic component. The base section 71 is further formed with a cantilever 73 extending from the base section 71 in a direction reverse to the extending direction of the soldering leg 72. The leaf spring 6 has a frame section 62 securable between the cantilever 73 and the base section 71 and a holding section 61 extending from one end of the frame section 62 toward an opposite end to elastically press and contact the base section 71. A holding mouth 60 is defined between the holding section 61 and the base section 71 and accessible from outer side of the insulation outer case. In use, an external electrical wire can be inserted between the holding section 61 and the base section 71 through the holding mouth 60. The holding section 61 serves to elastically push the electrical wire against the surface of the base section 71 and securely hold the electrical wire, whereby the electrical wire is electrically connected with the conductive frame 7. In order to make the wire connection terminal has better electrical conductivity and able to more securely hold the external electrical wire, the base section 71, the cantilever 73 and the soldering leg 72 of the conductive frame 7 are generally made of conductive metal material with high electrical conductivity and relative soft material property, (such as copper). Moreover, the leaf spring 6 is generally made of elastic steel material with high elasticity. Therefore, when choosing the material of the conductive frame 7, it is hard to achieve an optimal balance between excellent electrical conductivity and constant structural strength of the conductive frame 7 so that the leaf spring 6 can apply sufficient elastic pressing force to the electrical wire, while permitting the electrical wire to be plugged or unplugged. As a result, the structure of the conductive frame 7 is complicated. This is not an optimal design form.
When an electrical wire is plugged and held between the holding section 61 of the leaf spring 6 and the base section 71, the electrical wire will apply a reaction force to the holding section 61 to push back and compress/deform the holding section 61. Moreover, the elastic pressing force of the leaf spring 6 will be partially transmitted through the frame section 62 between the base section 71 and the cantilever 73 of the conductive frame 7. The conductive frame 7 is made of soft material so that the elastic pressing force due to the electrical wire held by the leaf spring 6 will directly cause bending or deformation of the parts of the cantilever 73 and the base section 71 that are near to the soldering leg 72. This will affect the ability of the holding mouth 60 to hold the external electrical wire and the smoothness of plugging/unplugging of the electrical wire. Furthermore, the conductive frame 7 is made of a one-piece metal material. The one-piece metal material is processed, such as punched or linearly cut, to form the structures of the base section 71, the cantilever 73 and the soldering leg 72. There are many invalided parts in addition to the base section 71, the cantilever 73 and the soldering leg 72. Also, the area of the entirely stretched raw material is quite large. As a result, a great amount of wasted material is produced in the manufacturing process. Moreover, to form the void section at the center of the frame section 62 of the leaf spring 6, a great area of wasted material is produced. Therefore, much material cost is wasted.
It is therefore tried by the applicant to provide an improved wire connection terminal structure to eliminate the above shortcomings existing in the conventional wire connection terminal.